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Former Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers is reportedly seeing NFL Draft interest after spending a season at JUCO. He suited up for Iowa Western Community College in 2024, showing out for the Reivers throughout an 11-2 campaign.
With a potential future at the professional level looming, he’s chosen to suit up in the Hula Bowl this offseason. That game will take place in Olranda, FL on January 11th.
Source: Former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers is planning to participate in the Hula Bowl this weekend. He played this season at Iowa Western Community College and threw for 3,825 yards, 32 touchdowns and completed 64.1% of his passes.
-Pete Thamel on X
The Hula Bowl is the “nation’s premiere college football All-Star Game.” Pro teams will be present with scouts from the NFL, UFL, and CFL dropping in to evaluate player performance.
Dekkers hopes it will be his moment to shine following a winding college path. The signal caller spent three seasons at Iowa State before moving onto Western Iowa, where he’s fresh off a 3,825-yard, 32-touchdown campaign.
It wasn’t necessarily his decision to leave Ames. Rather, the NCAA brought the hammer down following a gambling probe into the program. Dekkers was named in the investigation.
The NCAA revoked his remaining eligibility after a gambling probe. It found that he placed more than 300 bets at a total of approximately $2,800. Twenty-six of those wagers were on Iowa State athletics.
The most problematic bet took place in 2021 when Dekkers was the backup. He wagered $15 on the Iowa State football team while on the active roster.
A video leaked social media of the passer admittedly gambling online in an account opened under his parents’ names. It certainly didn’t help his case.
— – (@Spicoli_____) August 2, 2023
Over three seasons with the Cyclones, Hunter Dekkers threw for 3,355 yards, 22 scores, and 15 interceptions. He was then banned from his final year of NCAA competition.
The decision forced Dekkers to the NJCAA after a year away from football. He hit the transfer portal upon getting his Iowa State degree before balling out with Iowa Western.
Dekkers was viewed as an NFL Draft prospect prior to his dismissal. That didn’t necessarily change after his JUCO transfer as a number of scouts continued to follow his performance with the Reivers.
Nearly a dozen NFL scouts went through Council Bluffs to see Dekkers at Iowa Western this year… He’d profiled as a potential NFL prospect prior to missing the 2023 season amid the probe. Will be an intriguing pre-draft story to track.
-Pete Thamel on X
Now, he could have a second chance at NFL success despite being two years removed from FBS play. His JUCO performance only added to his draft stock, which isn’t often the case considering the dip in competition. Dekkers vowed not to let his gambling mishap define his playing career. He’s looking to make good on that promise.